


Attack on Covid-19

by Galaxypancakes



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Covid 19 be like
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-04-24
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:13:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23304457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Galaxypancakes/pseuds/Galaxypancakes
Summary: Our favs in lockdown. That is literally it.
Relationships: Armin Arlert/Eren Yeager, Krista Lenz | Historia Reiss/Ymir, Levi/Erwin Smith, Sasha Blouse/Connie Springer
Comments: 8
Kudos: 46





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've got lots of essays to write, but if I can I'll add more chapters. The first chapter is mainly EMA and we get some dialogue from Levi as well. Other characters and pairings will get their own chapters <3

Armin really didn't know what else to expect when he came into the kitchen that morning. His day had started off relatively peacefully, with the sun peeking over the horizon and a morning breeze sweeping through the room as he opened one of the windows. The smell of bacon and toast guided him downstairs into the kitchen, but before he even opened the door he could hear the commotion inside.

"I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANY MORE!" Eren pounded his fists on the table before grabbing a fork and stabbing it into his bacon. "I'm going to go insane!"

"Eren, it's only been two days! Please, calm down." Mikasa sighed and sat next to him with a cup of tea. "Here, drink this. Don't talk until you have finished. We'll find ways to keep ourselves busy, don't worry."

Armin waited until the noise had died down before entering. Almost everyone was up. Sasha and Connie were in the kitchen and Historia and Ymir were at the table grinning at their phones and showing each other TikTok videos and memes. At the other end of the table he spotted Mikasa wearing a pastel-pink cat onesie and sitting with Eren, who was in his boxers and had stolen one of Armin's shirts. Everyone else was still in their pyjamas and only he was properly dressed, making him feel very out of place. Just as he was about to turn and leave, Mikasa had noticed him.

"Hey, Armin. How are you feeling? Come and join us." She smiled, trying to ignore Eren's fidgeting and the glare he was giving to the poor bacon. 

"Good morning, Mikasa. I'm fine, thanks. How are you guys?" he asked as he sat across from them.

"Not too bad-"

"Shit." Eren grunted. Both of them turned to him as he pushed his plate away and put his head on the table. "How are none of you bored?!" he groaned. 

Armin and Mikasa looked at each other, feeling pity for their friend. Him being the athletic type, he usually spent most of his time outside. He didn't share Armin's fascination with reading (even though he should) and Mikasa was always able to adapt to new situations faster than him. They were only meant to leave their apartment if they needed to buy food, or for health and medical reasons, but both of them knew that Eren needed more than that. Indoor exercise simply wasn't enough for him.

Their town was rather small and remote, with a relatively young and healthy population. The risk was lower than in other parts of the country, but rules were rules. Armin sighed and thought about this for a moment before nudging Eren's leg with his foot.

"Hey."

"What."

"I have an idea. Levi doesn't wake up until seven. If you want we can go outside for a bit. How does that sound?"

Eren sat up abruptly, his eyes agleam. "Wait, do you mean it?"

"Yeah! Are you done eating?" 

"Yeah, just give me a sec." The corners of Eren's mouth tilted up and he went into the kitchen to put his plate in the sink. "I have to say, Armin I didn't expect this from you. Sneaking out, breaking rules. I'm surprised." 

"Well, with the way you've been acting today I think you got on everyone's nerves. Honestly you're like a dog. Getting so excited over a walk."

"Hey! I'm not a dog." Eren went over to Armin and flicked his ear.

"Ouch!"

"Say sorry."

"No. Now be a good boy and get dressed. I'll just get some stuff ready." Armin ruffled Eren's hair and turned around and was about to make his way into the corridor when Eren hugged him from behind. "Yes, sir. By the way, I made you some hot chocolate. It's in the kitchen. And don't forget to eat something, okay?" 

"Of course. Thanks." Armin turned around to kiss his cheek and watched him leave the room. Then he stood up and put on the hoodie Eren had left on the chair the other night. "You coming, Mikasa?"

Mikasa looked up from the newspaper she was reading and gave Armin a knowing glance before turning the page over to the sudoku puzzles.

"No, I'm alright. Only two people at a time, remember? It can be you two today. I'll text you when Levi wakes up. If he asks, I'll just tell him you guys are still in bed. Remember, one hour."

Armin went over to give her a hug. "You're the best, thank you. Want us to get you anything?" 

"Um...I'll be baking a cake with the girls later, so maybe some fruit. Canned is fine. Hold on, I've got the recipe somewhere..." She went out into the corridor to search for her bag and came back with a folded note and was joined by Eren. "Here. We need...strawberries. Oh, and blueberries. It's okay if you can't find any. We'll see what else we have in the fridge." 

"Okay. We'll have a look." He watched Eren rummaging through his jacket. "Eren, why aren't you dressed?" 

"In a minute, I can't find the keys. We can't have someone open the door for us if Levi or Erwin will be up. We'll be drawing too much attention." Eventually the jingling of the keys could be heard as he took them out of his pocket. So much for being quiet. "Got them. Right, hold these. I'm going upstairs I'll be down as quick as I can."

Before he could go, Armin grabbed his hand. "Could you bring the camera for me?" he asked. "It's in the box under our bed." 

Eren raised his eyebrows. "Will we have enough time?" 

"Yeah, it won't be long. Just a few photos," Armin answered.

Eren smiled. "Okay. Sketchbook in your bag?" 

"Yep." 

"Awesome." Eren left the room and went upstairs, taking extra care not to make any noise as he passed Levi and Erwin's room.

He entered the room he shared with Armin and opened their wardrobe. It looked like a tornado had swept through his side. Armin's side was on the right and still fairly organised, but Eren's shirts on the left took up more space and were strewn across the shelf, mixed with his jeans in a large heap. 

There were also clothes on the floor by their bed which they hadn't bothered to pick up from last night. Eren sighed. 

_Armin's going to kill me for this. At least I'll have something to do when we come_ back.

"Hey."

Eren jumped and turned around to see Levi leaning against the door frame, already dressed but still looking very tired. 

"Oh, hi." _Why is he up this early?! He's going to know that we're heading out. What should I do?!_ "Um...did you sleep well?" Eren asked as he continued to look for something to wear. 

"I'll be honest, not really." he replied. "You two were very loud last night." 

"We...what?" Eren knew what he was talking about but instead pretended to be fascinated by a sock by Armin's box. 

"You heard me. Listen, I get it. You're young, you're bored and you're stressed. Just... please try and keep it down next time." Levi could tell by Eren's red face that he was getting embarrassed, so he decided to change the subject. "By the way, you do know that you can be outside for as long as you want, right? You just need to stay away from others." 

"How did you know I...?"

"I heard your tantrum downstairs."

Eren hid his head in his hands and groaned. "Jesus, I didn't think I was that loud...sorry about that. I'll try and be more quiet, I promise!"

"That's okay. This is a stressful time for all of us, so I understand your frustration. Going for a walk is a good idea, just stay safe when you decide to go out, alright?"

"I will!"

"Good. Don't forget your mask." He smiled before he turned away and headed downstairs. 

Eren watched him leave then went back to rummaging through his things. He found a shirt that he had worn about three days ago and sniffed it. _Ew._ He tossed it to the side and reached for Armin's pile instead, knowing that there would be consequences. But he didn't care. He wanted _out._ He took off the shirt he was currently wearing and glanced at his reflection, smiling at the faint love bite Armin had given him only a few hours ago. He shook his head and pulled one of Armin's shirts over his head, put on the jeans he wore the night before and took the box out from under their bed. Inside it was Armin's Polaroid camera and several paints and brushes. He took it out and went to the door to take Armin's bag off its hook, placing the camera next to the sketchbook and pencil tin. He swung it over his shoulder and went back down, greeting Erwin as he passed him on the stairs. 

Armin was waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs and handed him his mask. They smiled at each other as they put them on. 

"Let's go."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys liked the first chapter! Please tell me what you think. Constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated <3


	2. Chapter 2

As they left, Eren gave Armin his bag. "Everything is inside. Do you want me to hold anything?"

Armin glanced up at him, but Eren could barely see his face. The bottom half was covered by his mask and his fringe had grown so long that it was starting to cover his eyes. 

"Just my hand," Armin answered in a slightly muffled voice. He looked as if he was smiling and it was enough for Eren to forgive him for his corny answer.

"Ew." Eren smiled and took Armin's hand in his. As they began walking down the path into the forest, they felt the warmth of the sun seeping through the branches and onto their faces. In that moment, they fell silent as they forgot about the current state of the world, only paying attention to the way their hands fit so perfectly together and how synchronised their footsteps were.

Occassionally they would glance sideways at each other, thinking about how lucky they were to be together during this difficult time. After a few minutes, they reached the bridge over the small river which separated their secluded living area from the town centre. Its banks were lined with willows, the tips of their swaying branches dipping into the water. As they were about to cross, Armin tugged Eren's hand.

"Eren?"

"Hm?"

"Can we stop here for a moment?" 

"Sure. What's up?" 

"Nothing. Just thought this would be a nice place to take a photo." Armin reached into his bag to look for his camera.

As he waited for Armin to take it out, Eren folded his arms and rested them on the railings of the bridge. He watched as two swans appeared from under the bridge, swimming by without a care in the world. It had been a while since he saw one.

He had seen the memes about 'wildlife returning' and 'nature healing' in other parts of the world. Some appeared to be genuine, while most were just comedic attempts at making everyone forget about the seriousness of the situation.

He never gave them much thought though, but seeing nature 'heal' in front of him made him feel that, as much as he hated to admit it, maybe the world needed a dire situation like this.

Humanity needs a wake up call to realise what it has come to. People from all over the world may think they have their differences, but in the end they are all the same. Whether they like it or not, nations will have to work together to defeat this invisible threat. It is unfortunate that humanity has only just come together at the cost of so many lives. Perhaps relations will change after this is over. Whether for better or for worse, only time will tell...

_Click._

He turned around and saw Armin with his camera pointed at him, looking focused. Armin lowered the camera and smiled at him. "You looked so deep in thought. I couldn't resist. What were you thinking about?" He asked as he put it away.

"Nothing. Just this whole...pandemic thing. Is it bad of me to think that maybe this is what we all need? To make us aware of our mortality and appreciate life? To realise the impact we're having on the world?" 

Armin stared at the glistening water for a moment before leaning his head on Eren's shoulder. "I get what you mean. You're not a bad person for thinking that. It's sad that so many people had to die for us to finally understand, but hopefully when all this ends more people will see the world from a different perspective. Even if it's only for a bit. Who knows." 

They watched the swans swim up the river until they were out of sight, leaving them to wonder momentarily about the future of mankind.

A moment passed before Eren felt Armin's hand reach his other shoulder to give him a reassuring pat. 

"Come on, then. We can talk about this later. Let's buy the stuff already so that Annie won't kick our butts, yeah?" He slid his arm down Eren's back and wrapped it around his waist. Eren hummed and did the same. 

"Yeah, let's do that." Just as they were about to continue walking, they were interrupted by the sound of running footsteps. 

"GUYS!"

They groaned and turned their attention towards the familiar voice belonging to their roommate. Jean appeared a few moments later at the foot of the bridge, panting and holding onto the railing to catch his breath. 

"What's going on?" Armin asked, slowly letting go of Eren. 

"Yeah, what the hell Jean." Eren took Armin's arm and put it back on his hip. 

"You...left...the grocery bags." Jean panted. "We're not...spending money...on more bags. Here." He huffed and handed them to Armin, who put them in his bag. 

"Thanks, Jea-" 

"I'm not finished." He took a deep breath. "I also came because I wanted to talk about last night." 

"Oh." Eren and Armin responded in unison and blushed as they looked at each other with slight worry. They looked back at him and it was clear that they knew what he was talking about. 

"At the beginning of the year the three of us were just friends, so I wasn't expecting any trouble in terms of room arrangements," Jean began. "I thought that we wouldn't have problems with sleeping in the same room. But now that you guys are together, it's a bit...awkward. You're very loud when you...you know." He blushed and looked around to check that no one could hear them, clearly forgetting that they were one of the few people who were actually outside. "I put in ear plugs, I listen to ASMR. Nothing works. So, uh...yeah. Any ideas? I mean, I don't have a problem with you guys being together it's just-" 

"Yeah, yeah, we get it." Eren waved his hand dismissively but Armin blushed. 

"Jean, we're so sorry!" 

"Armin. It's okay. I just want to sleep and figure out a way for it to work between us. I couldn't care less about what you guys do in bed, as long as I don't have to hear it." 

"Right. Okay, so...Eren? Any ideas?" 

Eren shrugged. "He could sleep in the attic?" 

Jean glared at him. "Fuck you."

"Jeez, I was kidding. Calm down. Also, I'd rather not." 

"Stop it, you two." Armin let go of Eren again. "Jean, I think I have an idea. Eren, could you give us a second?" 

Eren nodded and took out his phone to listen to some music as Armin whispered into Jean's ear. 

"He usually gets like that when he needs to let off some steam. You know how he is. Anyway, there's a spare bed in Levi and Erwin's room. I spoke to them about it this morning and they're fine with you using it." 

"Thank fucking God," Jean muttered. 

"I must warn you, though. They can still hear us sometimes, so I suggest keeping those earplugs." 

Jean groaned. "You can't be serious?" 

"I'm afraid I am."

Jean groaned. "Okay, fine. I get it."

"You sure you're okay with this arrangement?"

Jean crossed his arms and sighed. "Anything's better than sleeping in the same room as you two. No offence."

Armin laughed. "None taken." He reached towards Eren's earphones and took them out. "Eren! We've sorted it out. Jean will be sleeping in Levi and Erwin's room."

Eren took the earphones back and put them into his pocket along with his phone. "For real? They're okay with it? Isn't Levi a bit of a clean freak?" 

"What is that supposed to mean?!" Jean lunged towards him but Armin stopped him. "Are you calling me dirty?!" 

Eren smirked. "Are you calling me a liar?"

Armin rolled his eyes and sighed. "GUYS. Stop it. We still have some errands to run, so let's go. You coming with us?" He asked Jean. 

Jean put his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "Well, I ran all the way here so I might as well."

"Brilliant. Let's go, then!" He turned on his heel and started speedwalking. Jean and Eren looked at each other, wondering what had gotten Armin into such a hurry. For such a short guy he was incredibly fast. They started to jog and caught up with him a few moments later. 

Eren caught up to him first and put his hand around Armin's shoulder to play with his hair and slow him down a bit. "Hey," he said, tucking a lock of hair behind Armin's ear. "What's the rush?" He smiled. "It's still early. We have the whole day ahead."

Armin took hold of the hand that was on his shoulder as they continued to walk at a normal pace.

"Exactly! The quicker we get this done the sooner we'll get to do other stuff. I don't want to wait in the queue just to get into the shop." 

"Ah. Gotcha. In that case we'd better hurry up." He looked over his shoulder at Jean, who looked like he had had just about enough of being the third wheel. "Hey, horse face, you coming?" He sneered.

"Could you give me a break, shithead? I RAN here!"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Suddenly he got an idea. "Armin?"

"Hm?" 

"Want me to give you a piggyback?" 

Armin stopped in his tracks and looked up at Eren with slight annoyance. "You can't be serious."

"I absolutely am. Come on, it'll be fun! And really quick, I promise." 

Armin sighed. "It better be. Fine then, let's go." Eren bent down and Armin climbed onto his back. As soon as he was ready, Eren took off, leaving a very irritated Jean behind. 

"Hey, what about me?!" He shouted helplessly. His voice was drowned out by Eren's pounding footsteps as he dashed off with Armin who was holding onto him tightly and squealing with delight. Eren smiled at Armin's reaction and continued running until they could no longer be heard.

Jean sighed. "Wow. Rude." 

_At least I can watch Netflix without that annoying asshole interrupting._ He grinned and made his way back home, looking forward to his first binge watch with the others since lockdown had started. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry Jean ily <3  
> I know their personalities are different from their canon selves (especially in the manga) but I just want them to be happy and live the normal lives they deserve :c and that includes messing around and acting like dorks haha


End file.
